Partial engine power loss in a J4 ends in an off field landing.

Also posted on Gift Academy Inc channel as a learning tool.
Flying a J4 Cub Coupe early one morning when suffered a partial power loss and had to land in a nearby field. Happen to get lucky that the Go Pro had kicked on and picked up part of the initial emergency and once initially determined what was happening and managing it, I took a moment to turn on the voice recording device on phone in part to record what happened, symptoms prior (almost none), what I tried and checked and even tested more than once once was recording. And since I’m a talker and or always instructing as my husband would say (it never turns off) talked thru the process of what I was thinking and doing. I hope others find the process helpful. The plane was actually fixed there on the field/Dairy Farm and was able fly it out and to it home base. The corn field was luckily a early stage and more weeds than crop so no damage to it or the aircraft.
Only thing I was wanting was limit damage to plane so as to limit damage to myself. I was lucky to know some excellent aircraft mechanics who were willing to diagnose and repair once determined most likely could be “easily” repaired and returned to service and happened to be not too far away from them.. we had also prepared to pull wings and trailer out of there…
Luckily this aircraft is almost made for softer turf, if had been a tricycle gear aircraft the ending would likely been a plane stopping upside down. This field and road was very soft and sandy. I’m not fond of those stops 🤪. (Had that experience at age of 5 while buckled in back seat)
Hope it helps others

[@jlintvet1]

So well done. Every student pilot on the planet should have to watch this.

[@mx1209]

Absolutely amazing. Textbook! Good job!!!

[@jdub929]

What a beast of a pilot! Textbook and about as smooth as you can get on the landing. This should be a training video !

[@thepurpleufo]

I just watched this video again...and it's *amazing* how cool, calm, and collected you are. "Just another day at the old ballpark." After the landing, and shutdown, I could not stop smiling and actually was laughing out loud about what a great job you did. As another commenter said, "You are a beast!"

[@Ts-zy4bw]

Absolutely fantastic flying, composure and focus. I felt your anxiety throughout the landing but you kept your focus and did a perfect landing.

[@stevefambro189]

Like a boss!! and then the mindfulness to taxi to the road! Master class 10 out of 10

[@joeritota9073]

Outstanding job at aviating! Never lost your cool and greased it in on that soft field. Congratulations on a great off field landing.

[@Leo-fk9ch]

Well done. You flew the airplane, you didn’t get immersed in problem solving and forget to navigate. My off airport emergency landing didn’t go nearly as well. I didn’t have flat lands below me, instead it was at dusk with mountainous heavy Forrest. A destroyed A36, a broken leg , broken ribs, head laceration and a compound fractured arm made for a painful crash. One thing I experienced was the dedication and in flight aid that ATC provided. At the onset of the engine failure ( a broken camshaft, 55 hours after major overhaul ), I declared an emergency. After answering the typical questions, I added my exact GPS coordinates as I progressed to the crash. US forestry helicopters were on scene within an hour, extracted me and transported me to the medical facility. Always declare an emergency, always be in the loop with ATC. You can always update ATC after landing that all is fine, no rescue needed. Had I not been in direct contact, I’m certain my outcome would have been life ending.

[@cfimom]

ATC is our friend when we use it. I didn’t have that option with a non electric plane and handheld at best and low level. My area was heavily wooded but luckily following roads assisted in being near cleared area. Glad you also get to tell your story.

[@loopwithers]

As a Common House Fly trapped within the cockpit while all this was going on, CFI Mom displayed exemplary spatial awareness and pilot skills. Me, I was sceaming incoherently and I regret that. I just want to apologise for throwing up on the window. It should wash off.

[@munroeje]

Such an excellent job! A partial power loss is very tough to deal with and you managed the whole ordeal perfectly! Thanks for offering the video up so myself and others could learn. Good luck!

[@jasonreliford4083]

Great job! I had a stuck valve with a student a few years back. Fortunately we were on a 45 approaching the airport and although my situation was fairly easy to manage, it was still chaotic. You did a great job staying calm and working through the problem. Thanks for sharing; videos like this are so valuable for students and seasoned pilots!

[@ghoster3078]

I don't really care!😅

[@LJ-gn2un]

Any landing you can walk away from! Excellent job! 👏

[@steinrich56]

Well done CFI mum.......kindest regards from me, a pilot, in Australia.

[@jaytroxel3495]

Nicely done. Talked your way through it and put it down with the furrows and on to a dirt road. Great job.

[@kirbyn2010]

My god, you are calm. What an exhibition of patience and concentration!

[@edwardstephens247]

She is calm because she knows all of her procedures!

[@motofish312]

YOU PRETTY MUCH DON'T HAVE ANY CHOICE. THE ODDS ARE GREATER THAN NOT THAT YOURS AND POSSIBLY OTHERS SURVIVAL WILL DEPEND ON IT.....

[@Don-ex8fs]

Mate - top notch landing. Role model of a pilot. Thanks for sharing

[@sabrinadavis9015]

Good job. Brings back a lot of memories. I trained and first-soloed in a J4 that was built in 1939.

[@daviezee]

Awesome job! Nerves of steel. Bravo! Your on the ground safely!

[@davidduganne5939]

That's some nice aviating. Well done!👌

[@lakemafreeland8149]

You did amazing. You were so calm. While I was on pens and needles. Thank you for sharing this with us. I’m so sorry you had to experience this.

[@iamalwayswrite]

“Pens”?

[@dermick]

If I ever have an engine failure, I want to do it just like you did - amazing!⭐

[@SLJ2137694]

Bravo! Calm, cool and collected. Great job!

[@RCTaildraggin]

I love how you kept your cool.. very professional 👍

[@porkorosso7885]

Well done. Nice and calm. 10/10.

[@deanalaska1]

Very good outcome. Saved the plane and yourself. Good job!

[@mellanieb2416]

I'm so proud of you and how you kept your cool.. A wonderful pilot you are... Glad you are ok, and this is such a good teaching video.... I hope you keep flying. Mellanie Boone

[@camsmeltzer9388]

Cool calm and collected! Well done!!

[@marknesselhaus4376]

Yup, a textbook example of what to do. You proved the two most basic things by staying off the comms and just flying the plane and picking out where you were going to put the bird down. It has been over thirty years since I last piloted anything but what you did was how I was trained. Happened to me once ;-)

[@appleiiee]

Great job talking yourself thru it~~you are a natural CFI. Thanks for sharing and helping many pilots with this video of what to do.

[@cassbiz]

Very Calm - Glad to see no injuries

[@Beech-cr2we]

Incredible skill

[@ozarklanding]

Excellent landing! While I was getting dual instruction in my 150 for my instrument, we were at 5000 ft when my engine RPM reduced down to approx 1800 then right back to 2800 as if I cycled the throttle. It then started repeating. It was enough for us to start losing altitude. I continued to fly the plane and my instructor started going through the checklist. We got vectors to the nearest airport and somewhere around 2000 ft, the cycling stopped. We landed without incident. Findings: We found a dirt dauber had plugged the fuel tank vent and coupled with my airplane only having one vented fuel cap in the opposite wing we surmised that once a vacuum developed in the fuel tank it momentarily starved the fuel until the cross side tank cap opened to equalize the tanks pressure. Before my next flight, I installed new vented caps on both sides and added a checklist item to ensure the fuel tank vent line was not plugged.

[@cfimom]

I can relate to this also.. yep those vent lines aren’t there for weight lol! As a mechanic have cleaned out a fuel lines many a time just because of similar. Glad yours worked out also!

[@Limbwalker1000]

GREAT JOB....!!!!! YOU DID IT.....and unharmed too....!!! So glad you made it down safely

[@jimmydulin928]

Very nicely done. I only had one swallowed valve, but crop dusting years ago and patrolling pipelines I had eleven engine failures. Good job.

[@robertmitchell9445]

Excellent Airmanship. A professional job! Agree every student pilot should watch this.

[@loydsa]

Impressive handling of the problem

[@markhilken7026]

Bravo !! Very happy for the outcome

[@davidevans8826]

Excellent landing cool how you checked everything out, the mags the carbs and knew not to panic..🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦👍👍👍

[@Harleywun]

Good choice. of a place to land and no damage to you or the plane. A perfect performance. Great!!!

[@olddogg60]

Beautiful job. 👍

[@edwinstow8161]

Excellent job. Congratulations!

[@duffer2307]

I was almost doubting the emergency as you were just so cool, calm and collective.

[@cfimom]

Thanks part of what I teach is try to make it as much like a regular landing as possible and maybe even manage to avoid personal harm. I was extra lucky that day.

[@endlessrandomprojects]

Good 👍 job staying calm and cool and picking a good landing spot

[@scaviator4207]

Handled it like a boss!!

[@jimx1169]

Very well done!! Good job staying calm the entire time. You might consider finding an STC or maybe a field approval for some shoulder harnesses.

[@edwardstephens247]

Outstanding landing!

[@w4fej]

EXCELLENT job !! I can't believe how cool you remained !!! Go have a stiff drink and relax !! WELL DONE !!!!!

[@ryanbecker9282]

Well done!

[@carlwilliams1570]

Virginia Aviation Hall Of Famer Rucker Tibbs used a J4 to instruct hundreds of new pilots at W90 when he was alive. Great classic airplane!

[@100clagman]

Great job all the way through !

[@57ryanearl]

Great Job!

[@ag4allgood]

I can tell you had this all the way. Even going thru the magnetos / switching tanks ( bad fuel ) I'm sure the owner of this plane was really grateful you were the pilot !

[@cfimom]

Considering they were still very new to tailwheel yeah they didn’t seem to mind was me instead of them… they kind of knew plane would have some potential issues and in the end was lucky it wasn’t worse.

[@truckpilotnate2972]

Looks like an outstanding job!

[@wannafly34]

Nicely nicely done!

[@beaversixniner]

Good airmanship!

[@bobregester9386]

It’s not if but when. So well handled!

[@jackunderwood3597]

I'm impressed by your knowledge of every component in the fuel and ignition systems as well as the engine. Well done!

[@cfimom]

It helped being an aircraft mechanic, one of the reasons I was often called for these “ferry” flights

[@pmwheatley]

Wow! Great job!!!

[@cr-us9ch]

Nice job doing some of that pilot stuff. People get so worked up landing in fields, but always remember that aviation started in fields. I was in college before I ever landed on a paved runway and when the wheels chirped, I thought we broke something because up until then, I had only landed on grass.

[@stevenshanofski6801]

Very well done!!!

[@thepurpleufo]

Excellent job.

[@DownsouthMan]

Good job!

[@chuckewe]

Wow. Just, wow! Amazing pilotage, decision making. Near-perfect landing on an unknown field - even taxied off to a more convenient spot to park! Also, I ALWAYS talk myself through everything I do. It’s almost like a confirmation call-out for when you’re single pilot. Impressive, the whole dang video!

[@sumguyman8656]

Nice landing!!!! Even parked it!

[@ditch6389]

Nicely handled!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@jimseals8659]

I've had two engine failures flying Ultra Light vehicles, All my instructors have told me that when things go wrong, fly the plane. Good job there, glad you and the plane made it OK

[@emergencylowmaneuvering7350]

Fly the plane sounds very detailed. Wow..

[@Poundingsand]

@@emergencylowmaneuvering7350 It's usually pitched as rule one by flight instructors. As in "don't stall while you try to handle other business". Aviate, navigate, communicate.

[@emergencylowmaneuvering7350]

@@Poundingsand Or like look out when you want to see out. Wow.

[@Poundingsand]

@@emergencylowmaneuvering7350 tell me you're insufferable without telling me you're insufferable.

[@1pottercounty]

Nice Job! You lived!

[@hippylong]

Excellent!

[@ckachurch]

That was excellent

[@BillyG869]

All my flying solo I would talk my way through most all maneuvers and situations. A very good practice…This is an excellent pilot..Nice feature of a Cub is you can take it apart and truck it home.

[@cfimom]

Yep I talk thru 80% of all my flying alone or not lol… and this one time didn’t have to take plane apart actually fixed and flew it out.

[@ronaldbarrett3112]

Well done. Remained cool, did the job.

[@DavidBuyakCessna172GPiperJ5a]

Nice job!!

[@williamfox4521]

great job.

[@jeffhunt5040]

I’ve been flying for 40 years … military, airline & civilian - I have never seen a more cool, situationally aware and professional handling of a real world emergency, than this. Well done!

[@cfimom]

Well I thank you.. but I learned from those who were never recorded!

[@joeheitz1833]

Great job!!!

[@busabrye]

Excellent

[@nancychace8619]

Dam - great job! Gotta love a taildragger. Never know when you're going to have to throw Plan A out the window 🙂 Glad your story had a good ending. Thanks for sharing.

[@Happythingsare]

Incredible!

[@clrann78]

Nicely done 👍🏼

[@fergusonfirearms473]

Wow! You did really well! That must have been quite the scary time for you, but you handled it like a champ!

[@cfimom]

Thank you.. fear in this case was less than have experienced in previous emergency but definitely adrenaline pumping!

[@BrianOgilvie79]

A champ....in a cub!

[@whiskeyhotelpapa]

Nicely done! :)

[@pdutube]

Great job for resigning yourself to land and executing the plan.

[@jayakin6296]

Well done.......

[@DrSteveBrady]

Nice work!

[@warp65]

Nice job.

[@motofish312]

GREAT JOB! TRUE THINKING PILOT MOVES!

[@TheSoaringChannel]

I hope this experience encourages you to get shoulder harnesses. Welcome to my world (landing in fields). 🤪 In my case: I train myself to be surprised when the engine starts, and surprised that I am the one who shut it off as planned. It's a 2 stroke that I use to launch. I'd be happy to take you for a real glider flight if you'd like! Here's what I train, but I know there are so many iterations of this gouge: ✔️ Airspeed (best glide or minimum sink rate speeds, as needed, there is a difference!) ✔️ Best place to land - look inside a cone about halfway down from the horizon (powered airplanes) or 1/4 from the horizon (gliders) and closer. This is big for personal judgement. Empty fields with road access are handy, but don't forget colors of fields are important. Look up glider outlanding materials if you're a powered pilot. This could save your life one day. Extremely helpful to me as an airplane pilot as well. ✔️ Checklist/cockpit - fuel, carb heat (leave it on for about a minute before turning it off), spark, primer, engine gauges - if it's a dead jug you probably will hear it ✔️ Distress call if practical - be nice for folks to come help you if you ding it up ✔️ (Re) Establish control of the aircraft - announce I HAVE CONTROL even if by yourself to knock yourself out of the disbelief that it's happening and get your head back in the game Before landing, if your aircraft can do this: pop a door open, secure your shoulder harnesses and lap belts TIGHT, avionics off (your ELT has its own power source and is usually armed without avionics), fuel off if you certainly have lost the engine completely - that's at your judgement as is everything else!! 😂🤪 And in case you didn't feel this through the initial words: NICE JOB!

[@cfimom]

Not my aircraft to install equipment. I was moving for the owner. They have updating plane since.. and I’ve actually done a bit of the gliding before. And this plane is no glider and actually a pig compared to the early Piper lineage. My dad trained me for crop dusting abilities etc. just never had a plane that fit me in my early years for a career move. No adjustable mixture and hot mag at all time and no electrical. Just had a handheld. And since the door on this plane barely shut the odds them staying shut pretty minimal but also goal was touch down at lowest speed so if the worst happened then it’s impact was minimal also. Was only a stuck valve and engine was running. Which is why was not shut down. I specialize in flying by aircraft with special permits (broke airplanes) tho this one was normal airworthiness and also an A&P and career CFI. Not my first off field landing just first forced off field landing.. I was lucky to find a field in time.

[@daedaluscan]

What a great job. Hope I could be half as composed.

[@stevenlangdon1078]

she's a good pilot!

[@TheJimmyThreeSticks]

impressive

[@phillipwilson6576]

You wouldn’t know anything was wrong she was so calm great job

[@mountainmarauder2575]

Nice transition to the road. Cool head.

[@markloos1388]

You are a rockstar

[@chaltaloma]

Great Job and am new sub..you stayed cool and calm

[@sailor5026]

You made it look easy.

[@michaelcowart1398]

Well done! I would fly with you anytime. Hang in there

[@kenstewart5991]

I am really impressed with your airmanship. As a mechanic I would be out feeling for a cool cylinder before the engine cools. Probably a valve issue.

[@cfimom]

And as a mechanic I did (after I mentally cooled off lol ) didn’t notice temp but once another mechanic came we pulled plugs and found the valve issue and actually flew it out of the field..

[@Adui13]

@@cfimom I wondered if you were able to do an in field repair and fly it out. Awesome!

[@afroamasiaca]

Wow god bless dude

[@eagle2019]

A fantastic job and incredible show of airmanship, keeping a cool head, and a perfect off field landing. My biggest concern was the lack of shoulder harnesses and was hoping you wouldn't stop short and slam your head into the instrument panel. I installed BAS harnesses in my plane. Best investment I've done. Once again great job and thanks for sharing!!!

[@cfimom]

The airplane was a customers and was mostly as was when built in 1939. It was a concern about flipping in that soft sand also. I’d say many I help with relocating a vintage plane are still basically original set ups. Just a a factor to deal with. Majority of planes I learned on didn’t have harnesses and some after market don’t fit me when I use cushions and such..

[@eagle2019]

@@cfimom I tend to be a purist and on vintage aircraft or warbirds like to keep things as original as possible. When it comes to safety though I tend to air on the side of caution. It was only your skill that kept that situation from becoming a disaster. Again congratulations and great job! Your customer should pay you double for saving his airplane! Another pilot might not have done as well!!

[@cfimom]

@@eagle2019 they did add different seatbelts and I have flown since its overhaul and even did some fabric repairs to it myself. They were originally flying it back themselves till timing wx and such meant they needed to return to work and I took over.. they have paid well in reviews and monetized as well as friendship!

[@Uncl3]

#UMMazing. I had the honor and privilege of meeting her at #OSH23. 👍She is #UMMazing!

[@cfimom]

And you have been an amazing camping neighbor! Never imagined actually meeting someone who watched this without me sending them to it!

[@flywiseman]

Waydago!!! Great job